Hall earns top honour

Sydney 2000 Paralympic gold medallist and six-time ITF Wheelchair Tennis World Champion David Hall of Australia is to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Newport, RI, USA, 10 March 2015 | International Tennis Hall of Fame

Sydney 2000 Paralympic gold medallist and six-time ITF Wheelchair Tennis World Champion David Hall of Australia is to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015.

The 2015 inductees were announced on Monday at a press conference in New York City, with Hall named as one of three people elected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame alongside former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo.

While Hall and Mauresmo have been elected in the Recent Player Category, long-time tennis industry leader Nancy Jeffett has been elected in the Contributor Category in recognition of her lifetime commitment to the growth of the sport, particularly in the areas of women’s professional tennis and junior tennis development.

Hall is the fourth wheelchair tennis player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame following the induction of Brad Parks (USA) as part of the Class of 2010, Randy Snow (USA) as part of the Class of 2012 and Chantal Vandierendock (NED) as part of the Class of 2014.

“I feel so honoured and thankful that I am going to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I’m sure the ceremony will be a very emotional moment for me,” said Hall. “Tennis has taken me further than I ever imagined and I can’t wait to get to Newport to share this wonderful honour with my family and friends.”

The 45-year-old Sydneysider, who was also inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in January this year, during the Australian Open, began playing wheelchair tennis at age 19, three years after losing his legs after being hit by a car.

He was the year-end No. 1 men’s singles player, subsequently being crowned ITF World Champion, on six separate occasions between 1995 and 2004. He also triumphed at least once at every major tournament in the sport, finishing his career with 19 Super Series crowns.

Hall won a total of six Paralympic medals. At Sydney in 2000 he won gold in the men’s singles in front of an adoring home crowd and claimed silver in the men’s singles at Athens in 2004 to add to the men’s singles bronze medal he also won at Atlanta in 1996. Hall also won doubles silver medals in Atlanta and Sydney and was a doubles bronze medallist at Athens.

Until 2012, when Esther Vergeer took her tally of medals to eight, Hall was the most successful Paralympic Games athlete in the history of the sport.

The Australian helped lead his country to four World Team Cups and won two NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters titles, in 2002 and 2004

Since retiring in 2006 Hall has dedicated himself to promoting wheelchair tennis and in 2010 he was appointed one of six ITF Wheelchair Tennis Ambassadors.

More recently he’s teamed with long-time coach Rich Berman to produce the instructional video Let’s Roll – Learning Wheelchair Tennis with the Pros, which was released in 2013 as a resource for new players to the sport.

“Amelie and David were both inspiring and highly accomplished competitors on the professional tours. Nancy’s commitment to tennis has been integral to the growth of the sport and will leave a permanent positive impact on tennis for years to come,” commented Hall of Fame President Stan Smith, who also serves as chairman of the Enshrinee Nominating Committee. “We look forward to celebrating their many accomplishments and contributions to tennis by presentation of our sport’s highest honor- induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.”

Since 1955, the honour of induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame has been presented to just 240 people representing 21 nations.

The Class of 2015 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 18 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame